Pepperdine Graziadio students gain unparalleled access to professional mentors as
they earn an exceptional business education accredited by WSUSC and the longest-serving accrediting body for business schools worldwide, AACSB.

Institutes

MBA, master's, and bachelor's degree programs at Pepperdine have separate requirements
and deadlines for admission. Our Office of Financial Aid helps a diverse group of
individuals gain access to a quality higher education.

The Graziadio School offers a personalized academic experience for both full-time
students and working professionals at locations throughout northern and southern California,
including Pepperdine's stunning Malibu campus.

Growing Organization Development Skill on an International Stage

Michael Jonckheere, MSOD '15

Having just returned from the first of three international practicums, my cohort and
I – students of the Masters of Science in Organization Development (MSOD) program – have laid a strong foundation for practicing organization development
with an international perspective. The practicum took place in Lyon, France, where
my cohort worked directly with local managers to address real-world issues.

Pepperdine’s top-rated MSOD program is the only OD program in the world to spend more
than 50 percent of class time in international locations. This experience in Lyon will be expanded by similar sessions in Costa Rica and China
as we continue to develop our skill in practicing OD with a global mindset.

Virtually all organizations in today’s environment are influenced by globally integrated
views, products, ideas and other aspects of culture. Our experience in Lyon showed
us this first-hand. The challenges facing managers, including the managers we worked
with, need be addressed with this in mind. Traditionally, practitioners in OD assist
managers in increasing organization effectiveness and health through planned interventions
in the organization’s processes using behavioral science. In essence, OD facilitates
a planned system of change. Our cohort learned first-hand that organizational changes
are more relevant when developed by a practitioner with an international skillset.

The ability to understand the impact of change from multiple perspectives is critical.
“Whenever we’re in an international context, we have to challenge our own biases.
We have to make different decisions about how we behave and what’s important to a
different culture.” commented Bryan Clifton, Vice President of an Oklahoma City-based
leadership development company and member of my cohort.

The nine-day practicum in Lyon began with several formal and informal experiences
to deepen the theory we acquired leading up to the session expanding our international
perspective.

The first formal experience was an exclusive meeting with the deputy mayor Madame
Dounia Besson. The meeting took place at the 17th century Hôtel de Ville (Lyon City Hall). Since the building is not open to the public,
the invitation from Hôtel de Ville was a testament to the strength of the relationship
between Pepperdine’s MSOD program and the city of Lyon.

We then went to the America House Lyon where Monsieur Roland Cathebras, Associate
Director of International Trade and Development, took us through Lyon’s impressive
economic position within France and the global community. Following America House
Lyon, a walking tour through Vieux Lyon guided by Madame de Sars provided valuable
perspective on the colorful history of the city. With our bearings in place, a free
evening at local restaurants (known to be among the best in the world) and a hugely
popular music festival gave us a welcome informal perspective on the city and region.

With extensive course-work and exposure to Lyon now under our belts, we were eager
to put our OD skill to work in the boardroom. We were each designated a real-world
consulting intervention from an impressive roster of companies. Clients included a
multi-billion dollar agricultural technology company, global transport organization,
world-renowned culinary arts and hospitality management school and a variety of others.

Reflecting on the consulting component of the practicum, it was fascinating to see
the business challenges managers from another culture are facing and understand the
similarities and differences in the way they are handled. For myself and our cohort,
addressing these issues while maintaining a keen awareness of cultural dynamics was
both a challenging and very rewarding experience.

We closed the session with an in-depth debrief both on an individual level and within
our consulting teams. With a strong foundation of practicing OD in an international
setting now in place, we are looking forward to further growth and development as
we head to Costa Rica and China in the coming year.

About the Presenter

Tony Petrella is a luminary in the field of Organization Development and has been teaching cohorts of Pepperdine’s MSOD program since its Alpha Class in 1975. He has over 40 years of experience consulting with executives in both the United States and internationally. He has gained international recognition as a master interventionist, who, using a collaborative approach, has brought improved organizational performance to business and industry.

The Pepperdine Graziadio School of Business and Management offers MBA programs, Master of Science and Bachelor degree programs, and executive education for professionals online and at campuses throughout Southern California.